Ashley Swearengin for California controller: Endorsement

Since she was re-elected mayor of Fresno two years ago with 75 percent of the vote, Ashley Swearengin has been a rarity in California, a Republican regarded as a political star in the making. But Swearengin is taking it one electoral rung at a time. Her immediate sights are set on the unglamorous office of state controller.

She is well suited to this important job.

Swearengin receives the Los Angeles News Group’s endorsement for controller over two other strong candidates in the June 3 statewide primary.

The biggest name in the race, Democratic former Assembly Speaker John Perez, claims the key to succeeding as controller is to have persuasive skills of the kind he displayed as a legislative leader.

To that, Swearengin has a smart comeback. Speaking with the editorial board, she said: “Persuasion is the second step. Having a solid game plan is No. 1.” In other words, before setting out to persuade other state officials to share his or her goals, the controller must have the right goals.

Swearengin does. The controller is California’s chief financial officer, its payroll administrator and auditor, and serves on 81 boards and commissions, including the boards of CalPERS and CalSTRS. While all of the candidates want to keep (or get) the state’s fiscal house in order and strengthen its public employee retirement systems, only Swearengin emphasized to us that the overall aim is to foster a healthy economic climate for business gains and job growth.

Facing a fiscal and economic crisis in Fresno, Swearengin has streamlined the city’s government and implemented a fiscal sustainability plan. Fresno expects that later this year it will begin restoring some of the services it cut.

Thinking beyond Fresno, Swearengin was the only candidate who spoke to the editorial board about the importance of keeping California’s ports competitive.

Perez and Betty Yee deserve consideration.

Perez, D-Los Angeles, says he proved his suitability to be California’s fiscal steward by passing three straight on-time balanced budgets after inheriting chronic deficits. He’d like to change the state’s budgeting processes to better encourage departments to economize.

Yee, a Democrat who was Gov. Gray Davis’ deputy budget director before being elected to the Board of Equalization, says controller is essentially a technical job and that she is best qualified. She would try to make California’s tax structure more fair and stable.

But Swearengin has the best vision for the job. She said the controller’s responsibility for keeping California fiscally sound “really is the backbone of everything the state wants to accomplish.”